Elmira's hockey team will close its17-season history with two home games against Adirondack.

The 17th and final season in Elmira Jackals history will come to a close this weekend with a pair of games at Elmira's First Arena.

Elmira takes on the Adirondack Thunder both days, with 7:05 p.m. starts each night, as the ECHL's 72-game regular season comes to a close. Ticket prices range from $14 to $24.

It was announced March 10 this will be the final season of Jackals hockey, with the franchise ceasing operations after these games. Brian Barrett was announced as the new First Arena owner during that press conference, with that deal contingent on him being able to bring a new hockey team to Elmira. Another franchise has yet to be announced.

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After 17 seasons, the 2016-17 season was the final one for the Elmira Jackals, who played seven seasons in the United Hockey League and 10 in the ECHL.
Andrew Legare / Staff Video

The Jackals have struggled with attendance in recent seasons and this season rank last among the ECHL's 27 teams with an average of 2,254 fans over 34 home dates.

Friday's game will be Superhero Night, with the Jackals wearing special jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. Proceeds benefit Donate Life.

Saturday will be Fan Appreciation Night. There will be several fan giveaways and videos will be shown throughout looking back at the team's history.

Few players remain on the Jackals' roster from October's opening night and the team replaced head coach Dave Leger with assistant Mike Duco in January in what was described as a mutual decision. A franchise-record 16-game losing streak followed for the Jackals, who have the ECHL's worst record entering the weekend at 17-45-7-1.

First-place Adirondack (39-20-7-4) holds a three-point lead in the standings over the Brampton Beast heading into the weekend. Both of those teams have clinched playoff spots.

The Jackals will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season after they advanced to the postseason in each of their first six seasons in the ECHL.

Elmira's first season was 2000-01, as a member of the now defunct United Hockey League. The Jackals finished with a 32-33-9 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Jackals' two best seasons were 2001-02 and 2003-04, when they lost in the UHL championship series under head coach Todd Brost. Elmira had a franchise-best 98 points in 2001-02 with a 45-21-8 record. The 2011-12 team matched that high mark of 45 victories.

The Jackals joined the ECHL in the 2007-08 season following seven seasons in the UHL.